Effects of combined physical and cognitive training on fitness and neuropsychological outcomes in healthy older adults

Abstract

Purpose

Physical exercise and cognitive training have been shown to enhance cognition among older adults. However, few studies have looked at the potential synergetic effects of combining physical and cognitive training in a single study. Prior trials on combined training have led to interesting yet equivocal results. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of combined physical and cognitive interventions on physical fitness and neuropsychological performance in healthy older adults.

Methods

Seventy-six participants were randomly assigned to one of four training combinations using a 2×2 factorial design. The physical intervention was a mixed aerobic and resistance training program, and the cognitive intervention was a dual-task (DT) training program. Stretching and toning exercises and computer lessons were used as active control conditions. Physical and cognitive measures were collected pre- and postintervention.

Results

All groups showed equivalent improvements in measures of functional mobility. The aerobic–strength condition led to larger effect size in lower body strength, independently of cognitive training. All groups showed improved speed of processing and inhibition abilities, but only participants who took part in the DT training, independently of physical training, showed increased task-switching abilities. The level of functional mobility after intervention was significantly associated with task-switching abilities.

Conclusion

Combined training did not yield synergetic effects. However, DT training did lead to transfer effects on executive performance in neuropsychological tests. Both aerobic-resistance training and stretching-toning exercises can improve functional mobility in older adults.

Keywords:

• aging
• combined intervention
• physical performance
• cognitive performance
• dual task
• executive functions

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) grant (#187596). LD-C was supported by a doctoral fellowship from the CIHR, and LB was supported by the Canada Research Chair Program. The authors would like to thank Dre Kristell Pothier for helpful comments on the article.

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.